George Brown

In the Fall of 2012, George Brown College opened its doors to the Daphne Cockwell Centre for Health Sciences. Located at the heart of Toronto’s harbourfront in the Queens Quey and Sherbourne area, the stunning architectural design was built to encourage health care graduates with state of the art labs, a rooftop terrace, and tall glass panels meant to introduce the flow of light and wellness. In 2024 , the college hopes to welcome another striking design structure, known as ‘The Arbour’, as part of a sustainability improvement project. The Arbour will be the first 12-storey wooden-framed structure in the heart of Toronto.

The structure is expected to be a carbon-neutral wood building that will produce the same amount of energy it consumes. This balance results in a climate-friendly building adaptable to external changes in temperature. This building is one part of George Brown’s plan to create a low carbon campus by the Toronto shorelines.

The low carbon footprint will create low output of greenhouse gas emissions, often linked as the main cause of global warning and climate change. This is a step in encouraging healthy business practices in the City of Toronto. Adrienne Galway, executive advisor to the president of George Brown College, told Women’s Post that colleges such as George Brown play a critical role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. “This building will be a living laboratory for a low carbon future.” Galway noted that students will have a chance to learn about design, construction , electrical components, and the science behind tall wooden structures by being in one.

While the concept of tall wood buildings may be new to Toronto, George Brown has been following similar designs in Europe, Japan and Australia, where engineers are starting to use more wood to construct buildings. The building will be a unique landmark for the Toronto waterfront with the use of renewable resources and unique beauty.

Vancouver based architect Micheal Green is the lead designer behind contemporary wooden buildings and has studied the science behind the design. To ensure the safety of tall wooden buildings, the wood is treated to have the properties and strength of steel. These massive panels of wood can be fire resistant and even safe during earthquakes.

Safety precautions and testings have been done on other tall wooding buildings, such as the 18-storey student residence Brock Commons building at the University of British Columbia. The building is set to be open in September 2017 and will be the tallest building in the world made of wood.

George Brown has currently placed a request for qualifications for architects. In the fall, interested and qualified parties will be invited to bid. This design competition will allow an architect to work along with the college to help bring the Arbour to life.

George Brown continues to work on their low carbon campus design and in 2018 they will open a building focused on the future of design. For more information visit georgebrown.ca

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